This is the third update. Has my hard work moved you?
"Okay, then I'll go to sleep. Jingze, go ahead and do what you need to do."
"It's alright, don't be so polite with me."
Zhang Hongmei wasn't asleep; she was just lying on the bed with her eyes closed. The room was extremely quiet, perfect for resting her mind.
When the time came, Liu Jingze stood up and looked at Zhang Hongmei lying on his bed. "Hongmei, it's time. Get up, wash your face, and wake yourself up."
Zhang Hongmei sat up, used the water that Liu Jingze had saved over two days to wash her face, slung her bag over her shoulder, and went to the examination hall.
Liu Jingze washed his hair and face with the water, water he had saved up over two days. He had to be economical.
After finishing the two exams in the afternoon, Liu Jingze was still waiting at the entrance.
Zhang Hongmei said goodbye to Song Zigan, and the two went home together.
Back home, Zhang Hongmei was in charge of cooking, while Liu Jingze swept the yard.
Thinking about Liu Jingze's appetite, Zhang Hongmei prepared two large ladles of dough in the kitchen, took out a five-pound piece of cured meat, cut it in half, and took out two scallions.
I washed the cured pork several times, afraid that the filling would be too salty later.
"Jingze, have you finished sweeping?"
"What's wrong?"
"You do the heavy lifting, you chop the meat. I hate this job the most."
"Okay! Leave it to me."
Now that it's cold, the two of them are in the kitchen, and Liu Jingze feels especially warm and cozy. He will think of this scene every time he cooks in the kitchen in the future.
"Red plum, just the flesh is too extravagant."
"I also think it's extravagant, but I have no other choice but to have a good meal."
"I really have to thank Hongmei."
Liu Jingze chopped the meat into minced meat. Zhang Hongmei brought the seasoning. This was rib meat, with both fat and lean parts. The skin hadn't been chopped into the meat, so Zhang Hongmei decided to stir-fry the minced meat in the pot. This would make it more fragrant and would eliminate the need for oil.
As for the oil pan, it would be good to make a batch of potstickers later. That way, the kang (heated brick beds) in both rooms will be heated.
"Jingze, you start the fire. Just a little soft firewood will do. I'll stir-fry the minced meat."
"Okay."
The aroma filled the entire kitchen. Zhang Hongmei asked Liu Jingze to turn off the heat, then chopped two scallions herself. After waiting a while for the minced meat to cool, she scooped it out, added the chopped scallions, and mixed it well.
"Hongmei, I can learn how to roll out dumpling wrappers."
"No need, I can do it myself. I'll finish wrapping them in no time!"
Liu Jingze placed the table on top, put the worktable on it, and moved two small stools to the side.
Zhang Hongmei made dumplings very quickly, and Liu Jingze watched and chatted with her from the side.
"Hongmei, our exams aren't until the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month. After that, I'm going to Haishi. Do you want to come with me?"
"No, Uncle Zhang wrote to say he's coming over for the New Year, so I'll stay home. Are you planning to spend the New Year in Haishi?"
"Maybe, but not necessarily." Actually, it was already planned to spend the New Year in Haishi.
"Hongmei, have you thought it through?"
What are you thinking about?
"You mean going to the Capital University?"
"Jingze, don't you think it's too early to think about this? I'm not planning to go to the second year of high school."
"Hongmei, how did your exam go today?"
"It should be good, what's up?"
"I'll go to school tomorrow morning, and you'll come with me. We'll go see our teacher and see if you can directly enter the second year of high school?"
"Is this okay?"
"Why not just ask? But if they agree, I reckon the prerequisite is that you get over 90 in all four subjects."
"Okay, I'll ask tomorrow. If it's possible, I'll be the youngest second-year high school student. Hehe!"
"Yes, you're still too young. You'll only be twelve years old during the Lunar New Year, right?"
"Hmm, a thirteen-year-old college student? That sounds pretty good."
"Heh, you're really confident."
"That's right. I've already read half of the high school textbooks. Don't worry. I just feel that I'm too young and want to stay at home for a few more years. But I feel that even though I'm going to high school in the city, which is closer to home than the capital, it's still away from home."
“Yes, that’s the right way to think. I’ll go to the capital first to make preparations, and then I can be your guide when you arrive.”
"Okay, then let's go with Capital University."
Liu Jingze smiled happily.
While the two chatted, Zhang Hongmei didn't slow down her work; the dumplings were almost finished.
"Jingze, light the fire and put four ladles of water into the pot."
Zhang Hongmei cleaned the table and took the cutting board away, leaving only three large trays of dumplings.
Liu Jingze had already lit the fire to boil the dumplings.
"Jingze, light the oil pan too, let's make two plates of potstickers."
Liu Jingze is a man of action; he does whatever he's told.
Thirty dumplings were put into the oil pan, along with a small half-bowl of water, and the lid was put on.
"I'll start the fire, in case you make it too big and it burns."
A few minutes later, a fragrant aroma wafted through the air. Zhang Hongmei slowly turned the heat down to a simmer, and the water in the other pot was almost boiling.
When the potstickers and dumplings were served, the two couldn't wait to start eating.
Although there were no other seasonings, the meat itself was seasoned during marinating, which made the dumplings especially fragrant.
Liu Jingze prefers potstickers. Zhang Hongmei made a total of thirty potstickers. "Brother Jingze, you like potstickers and ate them all. I still prefer dumplings."
"Then I won't stand on ceremony. Potstickers are so delicious, they're not burnt and they're crispy."
"Hehe, eat slowly."
Zhang Hongmei ate ten dumplings and two potstickers and then stopped eating, while Liu Jingze ate all the potstickers and ten dumplings.
"Actually, I can still eat, but I won't. I'm afraid I'll feel unwell if I eat too much at night."
"It's okay, we'll fry dumplings for breakfast tomorrow. They're just as good as potstickers."
After finishing his meal, Liu Jingze voluntarily took over the table, washed the dishes, and swept the floor.
Zhang Hongmei ladled out two bowls of dumpling soup and set them aside, saying she would drink them later to help digest the food.
Afterwards, wash the pot clean, add water, heat it up, and then wash up before going to sleep.
It's almost eight o'clock. After washing up, everyone went to bed.
Zhang Hongmei fried fifty dumplings in the morning, and packed the remaining fifty-odd dumplings into a lunchbox to take back to Liu Jingze later.
“Hongmei, let’s go to school together in a little while and hear what our teacher has to say.”
"Okay, let's eat first."
Liu Jingze finished eating and said, "Hongmei, I feel especially happy right now."
"You have no ideals, and you're happy just eating dumplings?"
"Hehe, it's good to have no ideals."
Liu Jingze took Zhang Hongmei to her homeroom teacher, who was also the school's vice principal.
"Teacher, this is Zhang Hongmei from our village. She came to take the exam yesterday."
"Oh, you must be Zhang Hongmei. That's right. You got full marks in all three subjects except Chinese, which was reduced by two points. I only realized you were a little girl when I met you in person."
Hello, teacher!
"Teacher, do you think we can let her skip a grade? She's already read half of the second-year high school textbooks."
"Oh? You've already read the second-year high school textbooks?"
"Yes, teacher."
"Then I'll test you first. If you pass my test, I'll go to the principal and ask him to give you a chance."
"Thank you, teacher." Zhang Hongmei felt nervous looking at the kind-faced old man, which prompted Liu Jingze to pat her hand.
Song Shouxin took out a high school math test paper, marked two questions, and said, "I'll give you ten minutes."
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